Archives for November 2009

My goodness, how desperate are these young women?

Although Afghan women have attained greater freedoms since Western soldiers first arrived in their country in 2001, one imprint of the restrictions placed on women under Taliban rule remains: forced marriages. Now brides who find themselves in these hellish arrangements are resorting to a disturbing method of escape—they’re burning themselves to death. Earlier this month, it was reported that the Herat Regional Hospital burns unit in western Afghanistan had handled 51 cases of female self-immolation between January and July of this year. Of those cases, 38 patients succumbed to their wounds.

The doctor in charge of the burns unit, Mohamed Aref Jalali, said that the practice comes from Iran, which has one of the highest rates of self-immolation in the world, especially among Kurds living in rural areas along the border. Many Afghan refugees adopted the custom when they fled there during the decade-long war with the Soviet Union that ended in 1989, and continued it when they returned home in the 1990s. The popularity of burning oneself to death has since grown among poor, uneducated Afghan women who live in areas where young girls are traditionally forced into marriage.

Afghan laws stipulate that girls under the age of 16 should not be married, but an astonishing 60 per cent are forced into marriages when they are children anyway. Choosing death over marriage is a result of the stark daily routine of Afghan women: many are treated like slaves, kept inside and ordered to cook and clean, while others are repeatedly beaten or raped.

I have no idea what to do to help, but I’ll say this: As long as we continue to pretend that all cultures are equally valid, we will never get rid of that problem.

David Frum, about Sarah Palin:

This is a woman who has got into a position of leadership by sending very powerful sexual signals. And we see that in the way that men like her much more than women do.

I dunno, eh? I’m a woman and I like Sarah Palin. I know many other women who like her, too. Mark Steyn notes that “when I saw her campaign in N.H., I was surrounded by moms with strollers.” I’m not saying men who like Sarah Palin haven’t noticed that she is, not to put too fine a point on it, a woman who’s quite pleasant to look at. But come on. I’m willing to bet there are hundreds of thousands of women, if not millions of women, who think Barack Obama is attractive. Do analysts claim he got into a position of leadership by sending very powerful sexual signals?

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Andrea adds: I plan on doing a Palin post soon since I’m in the US of A and seeing quite a lot of book tour coverage. For now I’ll just add that I’m not as convinced as I once was that she is President material. But neither do I feel it necessary to incessantly malign her, as apparently some others do. On a related note, and speaking of American coverage, Frum was on CNN last night, attacked from all sides (something about Fort Hood). He held up well; was certainly the most rational one on an annoying, loudmouth panel.

OK, this crusty old goat here would hate to be mistaken for someone who’s in touch with modern teen culture. I don’t have time to watch television or keep up with what’s popular, so forgive me if I’m, like, a week and a half behind the times. For instance, I did not realize the new movie in the Twilight saga was coming out this week, even though I’ve been hearing about it from the various teen girls who train at my dojo – Edward is an awfully popular name these days, I gather.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUjiOHA7GAo]

If you’d watched only the trailer you’d have missed this interesting plot element:

In the series, vampire Edward Cullen doesn’t want to harm or bite his teen love interest Bella Swan, which means they can’t have sex.

“With teens, we actually found that they appreciated the messages of abstinence,” said Melissa Click of the University of Missouri, who surveyed 4,000 Twilight fans.

Click and her co-authors’ research primarily addresses the reasons behind the teenage-madness for Twilight, a four-book series with two films so far. The newest movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, opens Friday, and has already broken Cineplex Theatres’ records by selling $1.5 million in advance tickets across Canada. The first film, Twilight, grossed more than $190 million in North America.

The research found that many teen girls — who make up the core of Twilight’s audience — are drawn to the story about love beyond the physical. “The media environment is saturated with teens in sexual relationships,” said Click. “(Twilight) does provide something different for girls. I’ve had girls say to me, ‘I’m going to wait for my Edward.’ And they think that’s really cool.”

Indeed it is, and I’m delighted to hear that many girls and young women are getting the very important message that true love is a heck of a lot more than just casual sex, and that it is worth waiting for that special someone. I’ll make a point of reading the books… as soon as I’m done with the last Harry Potter tome (told you I wasn’t up to date).

Please forgive my obsessive compulsive habit of finding fault with public “education” systems. I have a big grudge against them that goes a looooong way back, and this poor old soul here doesn’t really let go of grudges easily. (I know; I’m a bad person. But that doesn’t mean I’m not right.)

Thing is, just about everything reminds me of exactly how wretched public “education” systems have become. And when I see articles like this one, I get very excited.

A few facts about schools and education:

• A review of British pre-school programs which included “free nursery education for all three-year-olds” found that the £3-billion spent on the programs since 2001 resulted in no discernible benefits. One study found that the children of teen mothers actually did worse in the new program.
• Peer-reviewed studies consistently show that home-based learners out-score their schooled counterparts, with the relative gains being greatest for those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
• The Conference Board of Canada’s 2007 Report Card on Canada found that “[o]ver 7.5 million adult Canadians have low basic skills and low levels of literacy,” even though many of them had graduated from high school.
• There is compelling evidence that before the implementation of compulsory schooling in New England, the literacy rate far surpassed that of today, even when controlling for the greater numbers of non-English speakers present in the region now.
• Research two years ago at the University of Connecticut discovered that many graduating students at four-year American colleges knew less about civic issues, including history, government and economics, than those students entering the institutions.

Why is it that more schooling can actually hinder learning? Perhaps it’s time to start pointing the finger at moral hazard, the blanket scholastic insurance policy that induces those insured — students and their parents — to become less inclined to take an active role in securing their own education.

Makes sense, which is exactly why governments everywhere are insisting that, No, no! We should NOT point fingers at anything and we should ABSOLUTELY frog-march toddlers to all-day “early education centres”, no matter what it costs and how much it doesn’t do! (Here in Ontario we have a big old expensive all-day school-based daycare system coming, and nothing anyone says will stop politicians from implementing it.)

In other (completely unrelated, I’m sure) news, children in Britain will get a legal right to a good education:

An education Bill to be unveiled in the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday will create a set of pupil and parent “guarantees” for the first time – outlining what families can expect from the state school system in England.

This includes one-to-one tuition for pupils struggling in the basics, five hours of PE every week, the right to “high quality” cultural activities and a promise that all schools will promote healthy eating, active lifestyles and mental wellbeing.

Let me get this straight: First we institute new and modern “education” systems that consistently teach less and cost more. And then we tell parents their children are guaranteed a “good education” [sic], opening the door to endless and no doubt extremely costly litigation. Which will result in better outcomes for the kids in what way, exactly?

If you’re a fan of Sarah Palin, there is newish Facebook fan page for you. It just surpassed 1 million fans, which is rather a lot more than Al Gore and Michael Moore (or even Al Gore and Michael Moore put together a few times over – oh gosh, what a horrible image!), though not nearly as many as Barack Obama.

Thank goodness for science! How else would we know what’s appropriate or not?

It is the question that has troubled many a young woman as she dresses for a night out: How much should she dare to bare?

After all, if her clothes are too revealing, she may catch the eye of the wrong kind of man.

But too prim and she may attract none at all.

British scientists believe they have the answer, with an outfit that reveals 40 per cent of a woman’s skin providing just the right amount of attention.

No, not all flesh is created equal. “For the purposes of the study, each arm accounts for 10 per cent, each leg for 15 per cent and the torso for 50 per cent.” I’m not sure if that means you’re meant to get your calculator out when you dress up – I’m married and no longer have to bother with stuff like that; I just need to worry about looking my best…

That’s right! It’s the duty of good citizens to treat them kindly. Especially worms and ants and spiders:

Good citizenship is not just a question of respect for one’s fellow humans, it seems. The government has decreed that children should be taught not to hurt a fly.

New curriculum guidance says citizenship classes should pay due regard to the wellbeing of what it calls “mini-beasts”, including bees, ants and worms.

The classes are part of the “animals and us” section of the primary school citizenship curriculum. It says children can become “active citizens” by learning that “other living things have needs and they have responsibilities to meet them”.

By the age of seven pupils should have learnt that “humans have a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of animals, including mini-beasts” and will have been told rules for “behaviour in areas where animals live”: for example, “not stamping on insects”.

Hey, I’m all for looking after animals and refraining from hurting insects (I make exceptions for mosquitoes, black flies, and deer flies – these I have an absolute right to exterminate at will). I just wish they’d teach kids to respect smaller forms of human life as well, is all.

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Update: A thoughtful reader reminds me that this would be a splendid time for a t-shirt plug.

A heart-breaking story about a baby with congenital myasthenic syndrome who was taken off life support after legal battle between his parents over whether or not to keep him alive.

I don’t know what it’s like to give birth to a baby who cannot breathe or move on his own. I don’t want to know what it’s like to give birth to a baby who cannot breathe or move on his own. I can only sympathize.

Please excuse me while I fetch my eyeballs. I was rolling them all the way to my shoulders blades and they unexpectedly dropped off. It happened when I read this post about the new book Flow: A Cultural History of Menstruation.

In many ways, Flow—published by St. Martin’s Griffin—is a breakthrough. Nearly all titles on menstruation are geared toward preteen girls or are dry and academic, published by small presses. Flow, though, targets a mainstream, women’s-magazine reading audience. It is a tome on all things period, from vintage advertisements for feminine hygiene products to tips on the latest eco-friendly sanitary products, such as reusable (yes, reusable) pads.

The authors hope Flow will reverse any revulsion we feel when (get ready) “the tomato boat has come in” or “the Red Sox have a home game”; when a woman is “saddling up old rusty” or “riding the big red Cadillac down the Avenue of Womanhood.” Their goal is to help women understand menstruation in order to make more educated choices about how to handle it. “Women have different reactions to their periods, different symptoms,” Kim told The Daily Beast. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all bodily function. More meaningful discussions would allow women to feel like they’re owning their decisions.”

Today the most basic choice is whether or not to menstruate at all. Since Barr Pharmaceuticals (now owned by Teva) introduced Seasonale, the first period-suppressing birth control pill, in 2003, a steadily increasing number of suppressants has hit the market. The drugs allow women to menstruate just four or fewer times a year. And while some women take a suppressant pill to curb debilitating symptoms, for others, it’s a lifestyle drug. (Some doctors stress that the long-term side effects of continually taking hormones are still unknown, and could pose risks.)

Where to start? Oh, you’re right. I should start with the easy obvious one. The tomato boat has come in? The tomato boat?

Maybe I don’t go out enough. Call me unsophisticated and vulgar, but I call my this “time of the month” my period, use a whole range of modern products I find convenient (I am totally areligious about that; to each her own, I say – if reusable pads do the job for you, then that is that), apologize to hubby for the unnecessary but hormone-driven temper tantrums (he’s used to it), and move right along.

It’s just not that big a deal. I don’t need to “own my decisions” about how I deal with it. I just need to deal with it without making an undue fuss. Would I like to live without it? On the days when it bothers me, you bet. It can sure be inconvenient. But so what? Nobody said life was going to be easy and inconvenience-free. And honestly, you really think you can play with mother nature like that and suppress your period and not suffer any kind of effect on your overall health from it?

The book’s authors explain that:

The “ick” factor that turned most publishers off, they say, is part of the reason that women are shockingly uninformed when it comes to their periods. Research shows few women can explain the physiological processes of ovulation and menstruation—and between 5 and 10 percent of girls have no idea what’s happening when they experience their first “time of the month.”

Hey, if you’re going to call it the “tomato boat”, you’re not really ideally positioned to lecture us on revulsion and ignorance. There will always be girls who will be clueless when they experience their first period. I was one of them; sure, I knew about it (and the whole this-is-how-babies-are-made business), but I didn’t recognize it when it came (in my defence, it wasn’t like what they’d said). I was laughed at by people who ought to have known better, but it didn’t exactly traumatize me.

Maybe some people will find that book helpful. But I’ll pass. Besides, I still have to retrieve my eyeballs.

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Tanya adds: Who needs a whole book about it? Everything I needed to know, I learned from this episode of The Cosby Show  (3:30 in):

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcdXSh_c-N4&feature=related]